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Editor: John Mortimer

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Just as ABB robots provide
the backbone of automation at BMW’s Plant Oxford in the UK, which has just started
to build the Mini 5-door Hatch, so it is at VDL Nedcar in Born, Holland where
ABB robots form the backbone of automation in the body-in-white shop.

According
to sources, VDL Nedcar has nearly 1,000 robots on site, with most of them
provided by the Swedish robot maker ABB. However, some robots have been shipped
in by German automation specialist KUKA of Augsburg.

Thursday, 25 September 2014

Water-cooled
electric superchargers, developed as a hybridsystem for commercial vehicle
applications, and designed to reduce NOxand CO2emissions, are proposed at the 19th
Supercharging Conference in Dresden this week.

Delegates to the conference have heard a
technical paper on electric supercharging from AVL.

As German truck maker MAN establishes closer ties with fellow VW stablemate Scania through shareholding and heavy truck transmission technology, it also appears to have moved the goalposts with its newly-developed 15.2-litre, six-cylinder in-line D3876, the latest of
the company’s Euro 6 range of engines.

With torque figures of 2500 to 3000Nm and power
outputs of 520 and 560bhp for long distance and towing vehicles, or 640bhp for
heavy goods vehicles, the D3876 is the company’s top model and offers a
160kg weight-saving over a Euro 5 unit.

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

On the same day Audi
announced its revised TT Roadster and TTS Roadster, Volkswagen unveiled its new
Golf Alltrack – a crossover between estate and SUV (sport utility vehicle).
Both will debut at the Paris Motor Show next month.

One
striking feature of their specifications is in the choice of powertrain.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Six months after introducing the new Mini 3-Door Hatch to the UK, BMW
has launched the Mini 5-Door Hatch.

This second body variant, made at Plant Oxford,
features a characteristically sporty profile with a wheelbase is 72mm longer than
the 3-Door Hatch. The extra length has been used to create more cabin space. The 3-Door Hatch is made at the Born plant in The Netherlands of VDL NedCar. Production began on 17 July of this year.

Volkswagen claims its
new Tristar beefy pick-up is the “transporter of the
future”.

The company suggests it is “The best for your
business, whatever it may be,” which is stretching a point, and may certainly
draw a wry smile from Ford which claims to be the best at producing pick-up
trucks.

Saturday, 20 September 2014

Mercedes-Benz is realigning global passenger car lines, imposing top job
changes and investing in its German passenger car plants.

“We want to continue to grow and will significantly
increase our production capacities in the coming years. At the same time we
want to permanently and sustainably strengthen our competitiveness with a
high-performance organization,” declared Markus Schäfer, member of the
divisional board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, production and supply chain management.

Eight Fuso Canter E-Cell 6-tonne GVW trucks have been put into “real-life
testing” with customers in Portugal for a year

Mitsubishi Fuso, Daimler’s partner in Japan, claims to be a
pioneer of "green" drive systems for the commercial vehicle sector.
The subsidiary in Japan is Daimler Trucks' centre of competence for hybrid technology.

After Kia Motors, could Toyota Motor Corporation be seeking a location
for a new plant in Mexico?

According to rumours, the automaker is understood
to be reviewing several Mexican states and company executives have met with
Mexican federal officials for preliminary talks on the potential new plant, according
to sources “with direct knowledge of the matter”.

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

General Motors, under the umbrella of Opel and Vauxhall, has thrown down
the gauntlet to Jaguar by unveiling a more powerful 2-litre diesel than Jaguar’s
“clean sheet” Ingenium engine to be built in a new £500 million facility in the
UK.

GM has well and truly spiked JaguarLandRover’s guns
with a new 2-litre CDTi engine giving a power output of 170PS and and a torque
of 400Nm.

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

It appears that
measures implemented by Navistar International’s boss Troy Clarke are beginning
to take effect, raising the possibility of the company being put up for sale

Navistar
International Corporation has posted its smallest quarterly loss in two years,
narrowly missing the break-even point. Third-quarter results to 31 July point
to a net loss of $2 million, compared with a loss of $247 million in the same
period a year earlier.

Monday, 8 September 2014

The latest figures from show that it's new 2-litre Ingenium diesel engine is matching BMW on power and torque, but installed in the new XE sports saloon it has improved fuel economy.According to Jaguar, the new 2-litre Ingenium diesel engine manufactured at the company's new bespoke £500 million facility in Wolverhampton can develop 163PS, which is the same output from a BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics saloon. Likewise, the torque available from the new Ingenium is given as 380Nm - the same as that from the 320d model. However, in terms of fuel economy, Jaguar claims the new XE can deliver a CO2 reading of 99g/km compared with 109g/km for the 320d. In terms of fuel economy this equates to 75mile/gal for the XE compared with 69mile/gal for the 320d. Also available is the 3-litre V6 gasoline engine from the F-Type and which gives 340PS and 450Nm in supercharged form. Both engines are teamed with the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission - ZF 8HP, although a six-speed manual will also be available. Two ratings of the clean-sheet modular diesel engine will be available. The Wolverhampton facility will also make "clean sheet" modular gasoline engines. Eventually, it is possible that JaguarLandRover will be able to separate itself from Ford Motor Company as its engine supplier, finally severing the link with its previous owner.

Friday, 5 September 2014

Ricardo has been selected by Tenneco (Suzhou)
Emission Systems Co. Ltd. to provide diesel particulate filter (DPF)
control software and development support.

Ricardo is a leading developer of next-generation
fuel-efficient and clean technologies, and is no stranger to working within the
Chinese market and has a well-equipped engineering facility and team in
Shanghai.

GKN has stolen the
limelight as its flywheel kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) is about to hit
the streets of London in a series of buses to be fitted with its technology.

GKN,
thought by some to be one of the sleeping giants of the automotive industry,
acquired Williams Hybrid Power from the Formula One business earlier this year to
form GKN Hybrid Power, implying that at times GKN can move fast.